Volume 41, Issue 2 (March 1996)

A Review of: The Detection of Human Remains

A number of well-publicized buried body cases (Cummins Prison Farm in Arkansas-1968; Texas Homosexual Murders of Dean Cor11-1973; and the John Wayne Gacy bodies under the house in Des Plains, Illinois-1978) have pointed to the need for organized efforts in fending and excavating buried human remains. Burial recovery should not be relegated to convicts or other untrained personnel but should be conducted scientifically by the forensic science team. The forensic anthropologist/archaeologist is a key member of this team. This is a theme of Edward W. Killam's reference book, The Detection of Human Remains, which provides a summary of the problems involved in the detection of buried bodies and describes the techniques which can be utilized for their recovery.